Bridgewater firefighters may 'Shake a Boot' at mall

BRIDGEWATER -- After some debate, holiday shoppers headed to the Bridgewater Commons in the days after Thanksgiving will likely be greeted by a familiar site: Firefighters from the Green Knoll Fire Company holding out boots asking for donations.

By a 4-0 vote, the Bridgewater town council approved an ordinance Monday that would allow the volunteer fire company’s “Shake a Boot” fund-raiser to continue after the 12-year-old charitable tradition’s legality was debated by town officials over the last several weeks.

Bridgewater Town Administrator Jim Naples said Mayor Patricia Flannery, who disagrees with the ordinance because of safety and quality-of-life concerns, will likely not sign or veto the legislation -- meaning it would pass into law on Nov. 18.

The ordinance would require any fire or rescue squad to apply for police approval to conduct roadside solicitation to raise funds.

“We’re very happy. ‘Shake a Boot’ is so important to us,” said Green Knoll Fire Company President Mickey Gannon after the council passed the ordinance Monday night. “We do other fund-raisers but the money we make through this makes up a large part of our budget.”

Last year, the volunteer fire company made more than $12,000 in two days through “Shake a Boot.”

Previously, Bridgewater did not have a law on the books pertaining to roadside charity drives.
The issue stirred up some controversy after Flannery and two members of the council said they would be against adopting an ordinance making it legal, contending it could be dangerous and would encourage other groups to adopt similar charity drives that would lower quality of life in the community.

At Monday’s meeting, Bridgewater residents spoke in support of the Green Knoll Fire Company and members of the council said they received numerous e-mails calling for the passage of the ordinance after it was introduced earlier this month.

“If you pass an ordinance against it, I think it would be a slap in the face to these gentlemen,” said Joan Galay, a Bridgewater resident. “If you deny them this option for fund-raising, how do you plan to make up the funds they generate through this?”

Councilman Matthew Moench, who initially voted against introducing the ordinance on Oct. 5, said he had reservations about how the ordinance was drawn up.

The ordinance allows the council to override the Bridgewater department’s decision if they deem an application for a roadside fund-raiser unsafe, which Moench called bad policy.

“I will continue to urge my colleagues on the council to revisit this, but I can get behind creating a mechanism to allow fire departments to do this sort of fund-raising,” he said.